Board

Peggy Azuyak

Chair- Western, Kodiak, FY27

Peggy was born and raised in Kodiak, and returned to the Kodiak Island Borough School District upon completing her Master’s Degree in Education. For thirteen years, she lived and worked in Old Harbor, on the eastern side of the island, where she served as the Special Education Teacher, began learning the Sugt’stun language and cultural arts. In 2015, she relocated to Kodiak and currently serves as the Principal of the KIBSD Rural Schools. Peggy also teaches Alutiiq Language for the Alutiiq Studies Department at UAA’s Kodiak College.

Jeanne Kitayama

Treasurer – Southeast, Haines, FY26

Jeanne Kitayama is a long-time Haines resident, semi-retired teacher, and owner of the Haines Brewing Company. She came to Alaska as a forestry technician, and fell in love with Haines in 1983. From selling sushi out of her truck, to school librarian, then museum educator, to certificated teacher, where she continues to follow the practices of Project Zero, Waldorf, and brain research in teaching and learning.

Kim Sweeny

Secretary/Treasurer Assistant – Member-at-Large, Homer, FY25

Kim lived, taught and brought the arts to her school in White Mountain from 1977 to 2011. As a Governor’s Arts and Humanities Award recipient, she was actively involved in Bering Strait School District Arts resource and program development and New Visions planning. Kim also worked on Alaska State Council on the Arts teams to increase arts integration and delivery in Alaska. In retirement she continues to learn and share news of the benefits of the arts for Alaskan students.

Robin Child

Interior, Fairbanks, FY26

Robin Child currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is passionate about connecting children with their geographical place, culture, and identity through the arts, and considers it a privilege to help inspire new educators with creative ideas to enhance their own teaching practices. She shifted from the Arctic to the Interior as a board representative for the AAEC in 2019, transitioning from her role as the Arts Integration Facilitator for the Bering Strait School District. She loves to play music (classical piano and old-time banjo) and to work with the medium of the cyanotype- which merges a passion for the outdoors, and processes of photography and printmaking. She lives in Fairbanks and McCarthy with her husband and two young daughters.

Hannah Johnston

Southcentral, Eagle River, FY26

Hannah Johnston teaches classroom music at Homestead Elementary in Eagle River, Alaska. Johnston is also the Elementary Music Curriculum Support Specialist for the Anchorage School District. She has served as Southcentral Board representative on the AAEC board since 2014. Johnston graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Master of Arts in Trumpet Performance, Bachelor of Music in K-12 Music Education and Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance. She is currently in her 14th year with the Anchorage School District. She is a Collegial Cohort Facilitator in addition to serving as a Mentor for first, second and transition educators. Johnston currently serves on ASD Elementary Music’s Advisory Committee and ASD Elementary Music’s Curriculum Committee. She is the current Past-President of the Alaska Music Educators Association. She also plays trumpet in the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. Johnston has taught courses and served as presenter for district and state professional development conferences and in-services. Her passions include spending precious time with family, camping, writing and performing music and traveling.

Todd Hindman

Member-at-Large, Homer, FY27

Todd is a retired science and math educator. He began his career teaching science in Dallas, Texas before moving to Alaska in 1997 to teach in Sand Point. He then moved to Nome where he spent 17 years at Anvil City Science Academy, before moving to Homer to become the principal at Fireweed Academy. Todd’s love of the arts developed early on and he has always incorporated it into his teaching practices. His experience with Artists in Schools (AIS) programs in Nome solidified his belief in the importance of the arts in public education. As a teacher he saw the many hidden talents his students emerge through their immersion in AIS projects. Normally these talents would not be seen on a day to day basis in his science and math classes. Todd returned to the AAEC board in 2022, after a six year hiatus, and enjoys helping other educators bring the arts into their classrooms through the work of the AAEC.

Sonta Hamilton Roach

Interior, Shageluk, FY28

Ade’ Yuxudz, (hello everyone)! Sonta Hamilton Roach si’ezre (my name is). Sonta works as Assistant Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and within the Department of Alaska Native Students and Rural Development. Previous to this, she taught for ten years, grades K-12, at the Innoko River School in Shageluk, Alaska. She has worked to develop cultural arts programming at the school and leveraged additional funding and partnerships to provide support for student learning outcomes focused in cultural arts. She also does cross country running with the students at the school, and she works as a consultant in the area of community development, strategic planning and facilitation, grant writing and program management. When she’s not teaching, she’s usually out in the woods with her family living off the land.

Nita Rearden

Member-at-Large, Homer, FY28

Nit Yurrliq Rearden, is a Yup’ik, born and raised in Kotlik, Alaska on the lower Yukon River. Married to Mike from Homer, raised 4 children, Stefan, Spencer, Sara, and Sterling. They have 6 grandchildren. After earning a degree in education she taught in Bethel for the Lower Kuskokwim School District and in Kotzebue for the Northwest Arctic Borough School District for a total of 28 years. She retired but continues to work as an education consultant. Nita has a deep interest in Yup’ik art and developed a set of Art Kits for teachers, and spends time teaching educators how to teach cultural arts. She feels fortunate that she is allowed to leverage her passion in education, art, and Yup’ik culture to cultivate, teach, and expand cultural knowledge and understanding. She advocates Alaska’s cultural and language standards and is a board member of the AAEC. She wrote a social and emotional learning curriculum, Pulasaraq, based on Yup’ik values encouraging teachers to teach and model the values in their classrooms.

Katy Ritter

Southeast, Juneau, FY28

Katy Ritter was hired by the Juneau School District in 2008, and taught for 18 years in both primary and intermediate grades at Sayéik Gastineau school on Douglas Island. Her passion as an elementary teacher has been teaching through the arts, and has been fortunate enough to participate in several arts institutes sponsored by the AAEC, as well as the Artful Teaching cohort for the past 10 years, a group of Juneau teachers who received year-round professional development in arts integration. This year she is taking on a new role at Sayéik as an art and music specialist, which is an enormous thrill and wonderful challenge. Katy’s hobbies include birding, reading, practicing ukulele, and trying to get attention from her cats.

Lisa Leeper

Arctic, Nome, FY29
Lisa Leeper was born and raised in Colorado and went on to earn her BS in Sociology with an emphasis in Elementary Education from UNC. After graduation she moved to Nome, AK, with the man that would become her husband, and they raised two sons. Lisa taught at Anvil City Science Academy for most of her career, served as principal for seven years, and has recently retired from Nome Public Schools. As an educator, Lisa always integrated the arts with core content and, in coordination with the AAEC, she has promoted arts in the Bering Straits region through workshops and institutes for teachers. She looks forward to continuing to serve in this capacity!

Misty Holler

Southcentral, Wasilla, FY29
Misty Holler is a fourth-generation Alaskan who grew upin Wasilla. She studied Education and Art at the University of Alaska Anchorage and later earned her Master’s degree in Learning Technologies from Western Oregon University.Misty has dedicated 28 years to teaching in the Mat-SuBorough School District, where she currently serves as the art teacher at Wasilla High School.In addition to her work in education, Misty is an accomplished mosaic artist whose pieces can be found in public buildings and private collections. Outside the classroom and studio, she enjoys spending time in theAlaskan outdoors, fishing, hunting and recreating. Misty has also raised three sons and continues to be deeply rooted in her community.